The German Empire (German: Deutsches Kaiserreich, literally meaning: German Emperor's Realm) is the common name given to the state officially titled the German Realm (German: Deutsches Reich), but also called Kaiserlich Deutsches Reich (Imperial German Realm) by German historians refers to Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after de...
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The German Empire (German: Deutsches Kaiserreich, literally meaning: German Emperor's Realm) is the common name given to the state officially titled the German Realm (German: Deutsches Reich), but also called Kaiserlich Deutsches Reich (Imperial German Realm) by German historians refers to Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.
The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent territories (most of them ruled by royal families). While the Kingdom of Prussia contained most of the population and most of the territory of the Reich; the Prussian leadership became supplanted by German leaders and Prussia itself played a lesser role. As Dwyer (2005) points out, Prussia's "political and cultural influence had diminished considerably" by the 1890s. Its three largest neighbors were rivals Imperial Russia to the...
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